Girdle



A. M. SCHAMBER Sept. 1'5, 1959 GIRDLE Filed Dec. 22, 1958 United States Patent O GIRDLE Alice M. Schamber, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Application December 22, 1958, Serial No. 782,308 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-540) This invention relates to girdles.

It is an object of this invention to provide a girdle having substantially increased abdominal supporting effect.

Another object is to provide a girdle which possesses greater comfort in use, which applies adequate support to body areas requiring the same, and which is simple, convenient and inexpensive to manufacture.

The invention contemplates the provision of a girdle comprising a unitary piece of elastic material, a seam joining the end edges of said piece of material to form a tubular body having a front panel and a rear panel, each having upper and lower edges, said seam being disposed centrally of said front panel, the lower edge of said rear panel lying opposite a portion of said front panel which is spaced from the lower edge of said front panel, said rear panel having a substantially smaller area than that of said front panel.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a girdle in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is rear elevation of the girdle,

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the girdle, and

Figure 4 is a plan View of the blank of material from which the girdle is for-med.

The girdle in accordance with the invention is formed from a single blank 1 of an elastic fabric material of commercially available type such as is commonly used in the manufacture of girdles. Preferably, such material is stretchable in one direction only.

The blank 1 is of elongated trapezodal shape having upper and lower parallel edges 2 and 3 and inclined end edges 4 and 5. The blank is stretchable in the longitdinal direction thereof, that is, the elastic threads in the material of the blank are substantially parallel to the parallel edges 2 and 3. Each edge 4 and 5 is thus bias cut and is at an angle to the lower edge 3 of approximately 60 to 80 but preferably about 70.

In forming the garment, a cut 6 extending right angularly from upper edge 2 and midway between the ends there of is made in the blank. The length of the cut is approximately one-third to one-half the width of the blank. Fold lines 7 joining the base of the cutand the upper corners of the blank are now established, and the areas 8 between such lines and the upper edge 2 folded over onto the adjacent portions of the blank. The end edges 4 and 5 are now brought together and joning as by sewing to form a seam 9, which may be reinforced by tape 10. A tubular garment 11 is thus form/ed and it will be observed that the folded areas 8 are disposed on the outside of the garment. These areas 8 are firmly Secured to the underlying portions of the blank as by stitching 12. Preferably, a small notch 13 is formed at the base of the cut 6. The edges of the cut and nctch are finished in any suitable manner as by application of tape 14 thereto.

The tubular garment so produced consists of a front panel 15 and rear panel 16. It will be observed that 2 the front panel 15 has a substantially straight upper edge 17 and a lower edge consisting of two downwardly inclined edges 18 meeting at the seam 9 which constitutes the medial line of the front panel. The rear panel 16 has a substantially straight lower edge 19 and an upper edge consisting of two downwardly inclined edges 20 meeting at the base of the cut 6 which constitutes the medial point of the rear panel. Moreover, it will be observed that the width of the rear panel at its medial line is substantially one-third to one-half that of the front panel at its medial line. Moreover, the upper and lower edges of the rear panel are located opposite portions of the front panel which are substantially spaced from the upper and lower edges of the front panel. Thus, the midpoint of the lower edge of rear panel 16 is located opposite a point on the medial line of the front panel which is spaced from the midpoint of the lower edge of the front panel a distance about one-quarter to one-half the width of the front panel at its medial line.

Garters 21 are provided and preferably these are attached only to the front panel. Such garters may be detachably mounted on tabs 22 Secured to the front panel.

A girdle has thus been provided which has a front panel of major extent to obtain adequate abdominal support.

The V-shaped lower section of the front panel provides a shape which aifords desirable support without interfering with leg movements. Moreover, the biased directions of Stretch extending from the rigid medial line provided by the seam 9 also contributes substantially to the support aflorded while permittng desired freedom of movement.

Since it is unnecessary that the rear panel provide support over as large an area as the front panel it has been restricted in comparative area. However, it will be observed that the rear panel is designed to extend over the localized area of the back of the wearer on which support is usually required.

Substantial additional support is provided adjacent the waist of the wearer by the doubled sections of the front and rear panels resulting from the folded areas 8.

When garters are applied only to the front panel, there are no garters to render the garment uncomfortable when the wearer is in a sitting position and in such posi tion, there is no part of the rear panel subject to curling or otherwise render the garment uncomfortable.

The girdle described also provides more freedom of movement when the wearer is walking. A wider rear panel or a wider front panel adjoining the medial portion thereof would hamper leg movement when walking.

The girdle described is manufactured from a simple unitary blank by means of a simple stitchng operation. Thus, the garment may be Conveniently and inexpensively manufactured.

I claim:

1. A girdle comprising an elongated trapezoidal unitary piece of elastic material having parallel upper and lower edges and inclined end edges, the upper edge portion of said piece of material being folded to form double thickness areas, a seam joining said end edges to form a tubular body having a front panel and a rear panel, said rear panel having a substantially smaller area than that of said front panel.

2. A girdle as defined in claim 1, said material being stretchable in one direction only, said direction being arallel to said upper and lower edges.

3. A girdle as defined in claim 1, said double thickness areas being of greater extent in said rear panel than in said front panel.

4. A girdle as defined in claim 1, each said inclined end edg`--beng at an angle of 60 to 80 from said lower edge. v i

5. A girdle as defined in claim 1, each said nclined end edge being aha angle of approximately 70 from said lipper edge 'and'substantially midway between the endsi cut t o each of the upper corners of said piece of material and definng said double thickness areas.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,927,357 Borreman Sept. 19, 1933 2,610,324 DoWd Sept. 16, 1952 2,862,503 Blatt Dec. 2, 1958 

